Sunshine
by LunarFlare14
Summary: A couple of little inoxshika drabbles. they're sort linked but not noticably. bad summary. please review. not sure if this is complete, I might add another chapter for the heck of it.
1. Chapter 1

The first time I met her I was five years old. My parents had been invited to a dinner party her parents were throwing. I was forced into my best clothes and dragged out of the house by my mother. "You have got to get out more Shikamaru! If you lay in the grass all day like that you'll sprout roots and have to live in a pot!" Of course, I wasn't buying it for a seconded. Adults are always saying things like that to stop you from doing things. It was just another mind game to them, like one of these days you'll turn into Ramen or go to sleep or the boogeyman will get you. But this isn't about my mom. "I hear that Inoichi has a kid your age. Maybe you two can play together."

I groaned, "This is such a drag."

"What was that?"

"This is it, Hon." my father interrupted, saving me from being chewed out by my mother. He rang the door bell and put a hand on my shoulder with a look of anticipation mingling with pride. I was about to find out why. The door opened and a tall dark blond man answer.

"Shikaku!"

"Inoichi! It's been to long. You remember my wife, of course."

"It's great to see you again, Inoichi." My mom said with a smile, forgetting I'd given her lip... For the moment.

"You look lovely as ever!"

"And this is my SON, Shikamaru."

Inoichi flinched as a blond girl with big teal eyes peered around his leg. I flinched too. Back then I'd been afraid of girls. Not older woman but girls my own age. If my father wasn't gripping my shoulder so tightly I'd have bolted. "Daddy! Who's at the door?"

"This is... My daughter, Ino. Ino this is Daddy's friend Shikaku Nara and his family." She smiled at me and I gulped. I assume that my father knew of Inoichi's daughter and I know he was more than aware of my phobia of girls. It seemed to be an on running joke that Inoichi had a girl. I never learned exactly why. But again my story is running off track.

Ino's hair was short back then and she wore a mint green dress. You'd think her being the cutest girl I'd ever seen would have helped my fears but, sadly it only made them worse. My eyes shot to the ground. I knew nothing of females, other than my mom, but I assumed just because one was touchy and manipulative didn't necessarily mean that all woman were that way. I would learn better but not that night. I was the pushed in the house by my father and shoved onto the couch. The adult talked until dinner where I was set at a small table off to the side with Ino. Choji's parents were there but Choji was off at his grandparents. I was alone with a girl I'd never met before. It was a drag. Until Ino started talking. She liked flowers, and talked about all different kinds. What they were suppose to symbolize, where they grew, the varieties and colors. She really knew her stuff and I was amazed how smart she was. Not that I thought girls were dumb. I just didn't expect her to know so much. I was still nervous but it wasn't because she was a girl anymore. It was because the more I listened to her, the more I liked her. She didn't force me to talk when she'd pause. Instead she waited to see if I was ready to talk, and when she saw I wasn't she'd continue. I liked listening to her talk. She spoke with surprising precision, with an extra accent on the t's and f's. I noticed little things like that. Not just about her speech but about her. She bit the inside of her lip when she was thinking of the name of a flower, there were six freckles on her neck, she drummed her right hand, starting with the index finger, from left to right, a motion I could not replicate with her accuracy and frequency. She was the first girl I ever sat down and talked to. I wanted to cement her in my memory, just as she was at that moment. Sitting at the kids table, eating macaroni, and explaining the parts of a flower. And I did. When I close my eyes I can recall her in detail. Everything we talked about was a blur, save one bit, "Do you think I'm like a flower, Shikamaru?"

I jumped, because it was the first direct question she'd asked me. I flushed and sputter something incoherent. Then I managed a few words, "Really? You- You wanna know what I think?" She nodded earnestly, and I took a deep breath. Ino was to brave and tough to be a flower, "I think... You're more like the sun." She tilted her head to the side, I elaborated, "You help the flowers bloom."

"So, I'm not like a flower. I won't bloom into something beautiful."

I saw her look of disappointment and I panicked. "That's not it all, Ino! Come on, I'll show you." I grabbed her hand and, while the grown ups were talking over dessert, took her out the back door, in earnest to prove that wasn't true at all. The hour was getting late and the sun was setting over the village casting a warm orange light across the land in a beautiful sunset. "You see?" But she just gapped at it, confused. "You glow, Ino. And that light you have makes other want to shine too." Ino turned red, and looked at the sunset. "Why be a flower when you shine so brightly on your own?"

"So, if I'm like the sun, what are you?"

I thought about it. At that moment I felt lighter than air. Like if let go of her hand I'd float away. She smiled at me and I knew then and there. "A cloud." So I could always float by her side.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The day I was assigned to Ino's team was a pretty good day. The sky was filled with fluffy clouds and I sat next to her. So, she was complaining about us being uncool? It really didn't matter to me. I watched the clouds go by and listened to her. I still liked listening to her talk, you see. Her speech was animated and filled with life, unlike my monotone. Asuma let out a puff of cigarette smoke and looked at us, "So, what are some of your dreams?"

Ino stopped ranting to raise an eyebrow, "Dreams?"

"You know, your goals, aspirations, ambitions, plans, desires..."

I sighed, "You're a regular thesaurus, aren't you?"

Choji raised his hand, I think it had a hot dog in it, because if I recall correctly he got some mustard on Ino's shirt while she was fuming and not paying attention, but Choji wanted to answer first, "Okay you, what are your goals?"

"Barbequed pork for lunch."

Asuma blinked and looked at the rest of us, "Anyone with a more long term plan?"

Ino stood up, "My goal is to steal the heart of Sasuke Uchiha right out from under billboard-brows nose." Asuma looked to me for an explanation but I shrugged.

He sighed, deciding it was time to move on, "Well kid, what about you?"

"I plan on being an ordinary ninja, marrying an ordinary woman, having a couple kids, maybe one boy and one girl, then retiring at a decent age and growing old with my ordinary old lady.."

Asuma stared at me, long and hard, "Wow, don't set your sights to high there kid. Wouldn't want you to be disappointed." I looked at Ino and she was staring down at me as if my existence offended her.

Choji gave me a thumbs up, "Way to dream big, man."

"What if you can't be that?" Ino asked, intently. "What if you just aren't ordinary?"

I laughed, and they all stared at me, "That's funny." My laughter subsided and I smirked, still thoroughly amused by what she'd said, "Okay, I'll bite. If I can't be ordinary..." I thought about it. If I couldn't have ordinary... I looked at Ino, _If I could have her..._"Then I'd want to be strong. So I can protect the one who is precious to me."

Asuma grinned, "Now THAT's a little more realistic." I frowned, unsure whether he was serious or not.

Ino gave him a suspicious look, "Why do you care about our goals?"

"If I don't know what you're striving for I can't teach you what you need to get there, can I?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

After Asuma died I was hurting pretty badly. There was a constant wait on my chest. I rarely smiled anymore and I shut out the world. Even Ino. I knew she was hurting too, and I pushed her away. I didn't want her to see how torn up I was. But of course, someone like Ino is hard to keep behind the walls you build around yourself. Ino found me out by the training grounds sitting under a tree staring up at the sky, as always. She just stood a ways off for awhile, then, slowly approached me.. And smiled, "Hey."

"Hey." My reply sounded causal, uninterested. I wasn't.

'Haven't seen you around much..."

"Been busy." Same I-don't-want-to-be-bothered tone.

"Been thinkin' about Asuma?" And she struck a nerve. I close my eyes to steady myself. "Do you want to-"

"No, I don't.

In reality, I did. Someone like me is always seeking someone to pry them open. No one WANTS to be a Human Clam, it just happens and one day we look up and realize we're all alone because of it. Ino waited to see if I'd go on. When she realized I wasn't, she knelt next to me, facing my side, "You know you can talk to me about anything, Shikamaru. Maybe I could-"

"No, you can't."

"Shikamaru-"

"Please, Ino... Don't... Not now." The tears I thought had dried up had returned, and were threatening to spill from my eyes. I hid them in the shadows so she couldn't see.

"Well, if you ever need someone to lean on..." Her voice trailed off as I sniffed loudly. Her smile was soft and kind. She got up on her knee caps put her arms around my neck and shoulders, as I cried. She made soothing noise and told me it was alright; she sounded an awful lot like a mom. Except around my mom I felt some need to be strong. Ino tore down the defenses I worked so hard to build with a whisper and tender embrace. The kind understanding in her voice reminded me of that first time I met her. She shined through and warmed my soul like a prayer. And I never wanted to let her go. I cried into her chest and through my sobs, heard the sound of her heart beat mix with mine. For a few minutes we were in our own little world. My eyes were red and puffy but I decided, if anyone asked I could say I was testing smoke bombs and my goggles flew off. I pulled away and Ino frowned, "Will you be alright Shikamaru?"

"I'll be alright... As long as you stay with me awhile." There was that smile again. She nodded and I laced my fingers with hers. She sat in the grass next to me and rested her head on my shoulder. "You know? Asuma was like an older brother to me. Someone I could look up to and depend on, unlike my father." She nodded. She may even have felt the same way, but she kept silent, letting me finish, "I always thought I was stronger than this. That in the face of sorrow I could set my jaw and be a man. But hell, who needs to be a man anyway?" Ino let out a surprised laugh and for a moment I thought I heard Asuma's deep chuckle on the breeze. So I wasn't much of a man. As strong as I am, I'll never be as tough as her.


	2. Chapter 2

**I rewrote this chapter about seven times... It use to cut to ten years in the future but I decided not to. Maybe later. There's always room for another chapter right? Anyway, hope you enjoy it.**

It was about a year and a half later. Ino was given a solo mission to the Hidden Sand Village. I walked her to the gate that day. It was a routine message delivery, she'd be back in less than a week. But my heart ached that I had to let her go, and by herself. She'd be traveling through unfamiliar terrain. But for Ino I smiled, and hugged her goodbye, "How about when you get back I take you for Ramen? I've got something I want to talk to you about." I wanted to finally tell her. After twelve long years.

She gave me an inquisitive look. Acting like she didn't know what that something was. It was kind of cute when she played the blond. "I'd like that."

"Be careful..."

"I will." She gave my hand a squeeze and walked through the gate, before disappearing into the woods she turned and waved. Suddenly, I had a bad feeling deep in the pit of my stomach. Waving back I resisted the impulse to grab her and drag her back to the village. She'd hate me, but she'd be safe. A lot could happen in a week.

On the night that she'd be crossing the desert I dreamed I was a hawk, soaring over the forest. Beneath me it turned to grassy plains, then the sand dunes of the deserts. Ino raced across the desert, looking dangerous and half crazed, but beautiful. Like a wild goddess. She slid down a dune and let out a wild cry, enjoying the feeling of the wind rush by her face. It was like I with her. Sweat left trails in the dust that covered her face and arms. At the bottom of the dune she stumbled and fell flat on her ass, laughing hysterically. She caught her breath and dug in her shirt to find a silver chain. Pulling it out it revealed a sun and moon locket. She unclasped it, opening it carefully. Inside was a picture of us after our first big mission, her arm was around my neck, mine was around her waist. She looked up at the moon, where my hawk self flew, and whispered my name. It was almost like she knew I was there. That I was watching over her.

The day she was suppose to return, I waited by the gate, pacing anxiously. The guards gave me a sympathetic look, but said nothing. The day went by slowly and I waited there until they had to close it for the night. As the gate clanged shut my heart fell. That bad feeling in my gut gnawed my insides. At home I didn't sleep. Instead I studied the hunting and tracking guide Ino'd gotten me for my birthday. I never read it and knowing she thought I'd like it help ebb the concern until dawn. The next day I went straight to Tsunade. Voicing my worries to her only made her shake her head, "It's one day Shikamaru. I'm sure there's a reason-"

"I can't except that answer. I have no missions, let me go at least see if she got to the safe house at the edge of the desert. I can make it there in less than a day. And be back by tomorrow afternoon."

Tsunade sighed, then nodded, "Okay, though I believe you should have some faith in her." But I was gone. I did have faith in Ino. I had faith in her surviving until I got there. I ran out the village like a bat out of hell. I knew the forest well. This was my home after all. Me and Ino had played in these woods when we were young, and the best hiding places were as easy to recall as the image of Ino frowning when I found her time and time again. The forest melted into grassy plains and the sun was going down when I got to the little halfway house at the edge of the desert. I knew the innkeeper well. He and my father were friends from back during the great war... Or some nonsense like that.

When I told him Ino's description he nodded, offering me a cup of green tea, "She was in here about a week ago, took about two days worth of water and headed out. He studied me a moment, "Should she have been back by now?" I nodded and stared at the tea he gave me. "I'm sure she's alright, sonny. One sec... Hey, Yuri!" He called to a hidden sand ninja in the corner, she'd been sipping at a water and reading Make Out Tactics. "You seen a pretty young thing, about this tall, bright blonde hair, in purple with a leaf headband?"

"Yeah, I saw her leaving the Sand village four days ago. Why?" My heart sank.

"She hasn't stopped here yet. This is the only rest stop between the sand village and the leaf village."

The ninja frowned, "She did leave a day before that big sand storm. She could have run into trouble and been stranded out there." I stood and made my way for the door. Ino should be back, "Hey kid, you're not going out there alone are you?"

"I will if I must. She's my teammate and I..." My voice trailed off. I wasn't losing Ino. I couldn't.

The ninja nodded, understanding, "Well, I'm going with you. The desert is MY backyard." she gave me a curious look then turned to the older man, "We're going to need a LOT of water."

The innkeeper nodded going into the back he brought out two barrels with straps, "I keep these for just this sort of thing. It's about two weeks worth of water. One week for two people." He handed one to each of us.

"We won't be gone that long, but if- when we find this girl she'll be dehydrated. We'll need the excess water." An image of Ino looking like a dried up grape flashed across my eyes and I shivered. No, she was alright. She was a survivor and she'd be alright.

"Let's get going."

"Alright." I put the barrel on my back, it was surprisingly light. The stars over the desert were surprisingly bright. They kept me from nodding off as I walked. The moon was almost full and my heart lighten at the thought that maybe, somewhere in this sea of sand, Ino was looking up at the same moon. Yuri walked in front of me remaining silent for a good while, after we'd been searching a while she looked back over her shoulder, "So... This girl. She must be something special to risk life and limb out here in the desert."

I stopped and stared at Yuri who just kept on walking, then I smiled, "She's something alright."

"She's lucky to have someone like you."

"Nah, I'm the lucky one." My eyes filled with tears suddenly as the reality of the hopelessness of my task hit me. What if I never saw Ino again? Yuri didn't look back at me, or say anything else, taking the hint. I knew it was almost impossible, and now she knew I knew. That's when we saw the dark lump hidden between to dunes, "Oh no..." I ran to it, Yuri on my tail. The figure was cover by a dark cloak and half buried in the sand. My hand shook as I reached for the hood. I clasped it so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Pulling it back it revealed a man in his thirties with a hidden cloud headband on his forehead that was slashed thru. "It's not her." My voice was no more than a whisper. However, when I looked at his hand my heart stopped. In it was the locket from my dreams, the one that had been around Ino's neck. I took it and turned it over in my hands, it was smeared with blood. The cool metal pulse under my fingers and I jumped, startled. It was like the faint pulse of another's heart, and it beat in time with mine.

"Rogue... Looks like someone really did a number on him."

"It was her." I held the chain out to show Yuri, "This was Ino's, he must have attacked her."

Yuri frowned, "This guy's about a day dead. If she's injured than we had better hurry. That's more water loss..." She didn't need to finish. I knew what it meant. Ino would be weak and disoriented. We had to find her before sunrise. Only a few more hours. I scanned the moonlit sand and saw something that made heart rise, "Look!" There not ten yards away was a rock stacked on another rock. "She went that way." I ran to it and there on it was a smear of red. Five yards farther was a trail of red blood droplets. She was bleeding. Yuri ran in that direction, like a hound hot on the trail. We were close. The blood spatters became fewer and farther between the more we traveled. The desert became less sand and more hard earth, with strange rock formations and hills. It had taken on a gray tint and I knew why, sun up was coming and I was getting closer to her. The pulse of the necklace grew the farther we went. Suddenly, something caused me to look to the left and I skidded to a halt. There in the shade of a push of a dark figure, this one however was smaller and in the growing light, appeared purple, "Ino!" I sprinted to her, Yuri felt like a distant thought even as she knelt beside me. Ino was hot to the touch. A fever. Her arm had a make shift bandage made out of the same dark material as the cloak of the rogue ninja. I check her neck, "Damn!" Her pulse was dangerously weak. "Come on, Ino." I ripped a strip of cloth from my pants, opened the barrel and soaked it. Then I put the cloth to her forehead gingerly. The sun peeked over the horizon, just as her fever broke.

Yuri had given her arm a proper bandage, "We need to get her out of this desert before the full heat of the day hits us. We won't come out very close to your village but as long as we're out it won't matter." I nodded, Ino's heartbeat was stronger than it had been, and now that I had her, everything seemed possible. "I'll carry the other barrel, it's only half full. You can carry her." again I nodded, putting an arm under her legs and arms. Yuri picked up my barrel and we ran off into the dawn.

The next afternoon I awoke next to a rustle of fabric and someone shifting in the bed I had used as a pillow. I lifted my head to find Ino propped up against the head board. I almost cried out in joy. Almost. She grinned, "Morning, lazy bum." I smirked. She was adorable; hair a mess, make up gone, face bruised. She smiled sweetly, and I melted, "I knew you'd save me. I knew."

"Of course, I would. You didn't think I'd let you die out there did you?"

"But YOU? Doing work voluntarily?"

"I'm a late bloomer. My sense of duty has only begun to emerge." She let out a surprised laugh. I closed my eyes and smiled. Even through my eyes lids I could see her shine.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ino had been safely home for about two weeks. Everyone had plans that Saturday night, Lee and Sakura, Tenten and Neji, Hinata and Kiba. Everyone but us. We were playing chess on the floor of my new apartment, and I was winning terribly. She was in a t-shirt and shorts, I sat across from her in a pair of sweats. Ino would move a space and I'd move my Queen, "Check." She moved her king again and I moved my Queen, "Check." She glared at me but suddenly her face went red and she looked away as a clap of lightning was followed by thunder that rolled across the sky. I was beginning to figure out women. Took me twelve years but I had a theory. Women are the ultimate game of strategy; the rules are always changing and they're different with every woman you meet. However, some rules are constant, like looking at THEM not their chest, they tend to find it demeaning. One move can cause all your hard work to go down the drain. You can't win all the battles but sometimes the easiest way to win is to say you're sorry and walk away (Before she decides if you're sorry you argued with her, sorry that she was right, or sorry you'd said anything at all). I also found that they are the champions of debate, because they don't let a little thing like reality screw with their argument and they know that one thing to say that, at first it sounds trivial and stupid but then it explodes in your face, like "You're unreasonable like your father." or better "You're acting just like your mother." I was confused, however, despite my theories. Lately she'd been acting oddly, I couldn't put my finger on it but-

Suddenly, she reached out and rubbed my chin, "Sorry. Something on your chin."

"Thanks. How about another game?"

"Sure... I mean-" she swallowed, "No I... I want to..." She cut herself off by leaning forward and kissing me. Suddenly there was to much space between us.

But I pulled away and sputtered, "Ino?" My voice sounded odd, throaty. I was unsure what I was asking. Was I asking why she kissed me? Who was she and where was Ino? Saying someone's name like you would a question doesn't exactly give a clear idea of what information you want them to convey.

"Yep?" She didn't look at me. She hadn't done anything wrong. I wanted her to kiss me again, and I wanted her to run far far away. She was throwing me off.

"I-I don't know wh- I mean I- What I'm trying-" My mind was swimming, my usual train of logic and calculations dismantling in my mind's eye. I was aware of my animal response; pulse rate, fluttering eyelids, sweat, haggard breath. I suddenly couldn't form a simple sentence. I couldn't get myself to lean forward and kiss her myself. My brain was shut down. INO had kissed ME.

But after a breath I didn't have to say or do a thing. She kissed me again, just as deeply as before. She climbed across the chess board, scattering the pieces. My hands slid over her cheeks, covering them completely. She pushed closer to me and I didn't know what to do but kiss her. She slid onto my lap, straddling me, and I knew what I wanted. My hands from her face down her back. She put her hands on my shoulders, they move slowly down my back and I shivered. I scooped her up and kissed her all the way to my room. I stumbled in the dark, laying her on the bed. I leaned over her, and kissed her again and again and again. Finding her by touch, by taste... I pulled away again, "We shouldn't." Her mouth was so close, our breath mingling in the small space between us. I was hot all over, "I shouldn't." I choked out the words with reluctance, my vocal cords were apparently still attached to my brain. It sent out an emergency broadcast. "Please, Ino. Tell me no." Instead there was a rustle of fabric and she kissed me again, and at a thought I pulled away to the edge of the bed. I was being seduced. I was being bewitched by my sexy teammate and it was unfair. I wasn't the one who was suppose to need convincing. I went to pull at my sweats again and stopped, "Are you sure, Ino?" I asked slowly, cautiously. Sure of what? A voice in my head asked. I wanted to bang that voice against the wall. Ino knew. Ino crawled towards me touching my hand, and following my arm to my neck then to my cheek. She kissed me pulling at my arm so we leaned back together. Outside the sky opened up and it poured down rain. That night we threw caution to the wind, and let ourselves be swept away.


End file.
